Skubick's Capitol: Education reform failure

April 10, 2009

The worse thing that ever happened to education is that the issue started popping up number one or two in public opinion polls. Every savvy politician concluded, since this is so important to the public, I better do something about this in order to get re-elected.

That’s when the problem began.

Gov. Bill Miliken created an Education Reform Commission in the 1970s and in one form or another, governors and legislators have been trying to reform the system ever since.

And the upshot of all this is: Too many kids are still failing as official Lansing continues to flail away at reform.

There’s a bunch of “new” reforms floating around town in the latest permutation of revamping schools: longer school years, mandatory Algebra II, smaller class sizes, boosting the dropout age, revamping what kids eat in school, and the list goes on and on.

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All of these suggestions are well-intended as politicians truly want to improve education, but there are no silver bullets.

For example, lawmakers and this governor created new high school graduation standards. A laudable goal now being soundly rebuffed by some on the front lines who claim the standards look good on paper, but try applying them to human beings.

The push back has, of course, produced counter-legislation designed to reform the original reform. And if that passes, bet your boots in two years, someone will suggest that system should be changed, too.

Another example, several years ago lawmakers eliminated the 180-day school year and in an attempt at reform, they allowed schools to count minutes, not days, of education.

What did the reform produce?

“It’s been abused,” State School Supt. Mike Flanagan now reports as he urges lawmaker to return to the 180 days while China and India use a 220-day school year.

Charter schools is a textbook example of a reform that has produced a mixed bag, yet the push for more charters has gained renewed momentum from the White House on down.

Given a chance years ago to legalize a new charter school in Detroit with millions of dollars from an outside benefactor, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Detroit Federation of Teachers locked arms at the schoolhouse door and killed the reform.

Now with President Barack Obama singing the praises of more charters, the governor reverses her stance and warmly embraces more Detroit charters.

You would like to think that all this is about improving Johnny and Janey’s education. But there are more sinister motives hidden beneath that altruistic façade.

Money, turf battles, cities vs. suburbs, and the desire for raw power are also factors.

The recent power struggle over teacher health care costs pitted the Michigan Education Association against the rest of the education establishment and other unions including its own parent organization the AFL-CIO. The stated intent was to save health care dollars and redirect the savings into the classroom. But don’t kid yourself, it was also about who could make more money off the insurance system.

Which brings us to a critical question: Is the political arena the best forum for improving education?

Nobody wants to debate that.

So politicians will continue with their reforms; the school community will try to influence the outcome and some where along the line, maybe the kids will get a better education.

Maybe.

— Tim Skubick is the longest serving member of the State Capitol Press Corps with 39 years of covering Michigan government and politics.